English Grammar
Stories and Exercises
The Simple Tenses Series
Simple Present
By Really Learn English
English Grammar Stories and Exercises
The Simple Tenses
Simple Present
Published by Really Learn English
www.really-learn-english.com
Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form, by any means,
without written permission.
Ola Zur, has made her best effort
to produce a high quality, informative and helpful book.
But she makes no representation or warranties of any kind
with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents of the book.
She accepts no liability of any kind for any losses or damages
caused or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly,
from using the information contained in this book.
Simple Present
Table of Contents
Simple Present ...................................................................................................5
Exercise 1............................................................................................................6
Simple Present Rules ..........................................................................................7
Positive Sentences ..........................................................................................7
Negative Sentences .........................................................................................7
Question Sentences ........................................................................................7
Exercise 2............................................................................................................7
Special Verbs ....................................................................................................10
The verb “be” ................................................................................................10
The verb “have” ............................................................................................10
The verb “can” ..............................................................................................10
Exercise 3..........................................................................................................11
Special Spelling Rules for Adding “s” ..............................................................14
Verbs Ending with “y” ...................................................................................16
Verbs Ending with “s”, “ch,” “sh,” “x” or “z” .................................................15
Verbs Ending with “o” ...................................................................................16
Exercise 4..........................................................................................................17
Simple Present, Story 1 ....................................................................................18
Before Reading .............................................................................................18
Jack from the Forest ......................................................................................20
After Reading ................................................................................................21
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
4 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
Simple Present, Story 2 ....................................................................................28
Before Reading .............................................................................................28
Alicia the Letter Carrier .................................................................................29
After Reading ................................................................................................31
Simple Present, Story 3 ....................................................................................38
Before Reading .............................................................................................38
Jimmy’s Rock Collection ................................................................................40
After Reading ................................................................................................41
Simple Present, Story 4 ....................................................................................48
Before Reading .............................................................................................48
A Bad Wife ....................................................................................................50
After Reading ................................................................................................51
Simple Present, Story 5 ....................................................................................58
Before Reading .............................................................................................58
Marvin’s Bed and Pillow ................................................................................60
After Reading ................................................................................................61
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 5
Simple Present
The simple present is a form of the verb that shows the action takes place in
the present.
We use it to describe:
Repeating actions or habits
(Examples: “We go to work every day.” “They study in Canada.”)
Past
X X X
Present
Future
Facts or things that are true in the present
(Examples: “Cows make milk.” “Paris is the capital of France.”)
Past
Present
Future
Conditions (not actions) taking place at this moment
(“She is happy.”)
Past
X
Present
Future
Examples of typical time expressions:
always
usually
often
frequently
sometimes
rarely
never
once a _______ (minute, hour, day, week, month, year, etc.)
every _______ (minute, hour, day, week, month, year, etc.)
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
6 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
Exercise 1
A) Answer the following questions in your native language.
1. Think about repeating actions and habits in your life. What do you usually
do? What do you almost never do?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2. Write some facts you know.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
3. Look at the condition of the room you are in. Describe it. Is it big or small?
New or old? What does it have inside?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
When you want to talk about these sorts of things in English, you can use the
simple present form of the verb.
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 7
Simple Present Rules
Positive Sentences
Who?
Form of verb
I/You/We/They
verb
He/She/It
verb + s
Negative Sentences
Who?
I/You/We/They
He/She/It
Form of verb
do not
verb
does not
Examples
You run every day.
He runs every day.
She runs every day.
It runs every day.
Examples
You do not run every day.
He does not run every day.
Question Sentences
Who?
Do
Does
Form of verb
I/you/we/they
verb
he/she/it
Examples
Do I run every day?
Does he run every day?
Exercise 2
A) Fill in the correct form of the verb in the simple present tense.
1. The children _________ (play) every day.
2. In the winter we _________ (spend) a lot of time inside.
3. His brothers often _________ (give) him money.
4. You usually _________ (know) what to do.
5. I _________ (fish) once a month.
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
8 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
B) Fill in the correct form of the verb in the simple present tense.
1. He _________ )chop( wood at work.
2. She always _________ (keep) warm in the winter.
3. My dad rarely _________ (write) many stories.
4. The cat _________ (live) in the house.
5. Her sister never _________ (leave) the house.
C) Turn these sentences into negative sentences and questions.
1. We talk about good things.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
2. They burn wood to keep warm.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 9
3. I help myself.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
4. This old car moves very slowly.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
5. He grows carrots and corn.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
6. She usually visits us on Sunday.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
10 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
Special Verbs
The following are common verbs that have special simple present forms.
The Verb “Be”
Who?
Form of verb
I
am
He/She/It
is
You/We/They
are
Examples
Positive: I am tall.
Negative: I am not tall.
Question: Am I tall?
Positive: He is tall.
Negative: He is not tall.
Question: Is he tall?
Positive: You are tall.
Negative: You are not tall.
Question: Are you tall?
The Verb “Have”
Who?
Form of verb
I/You/We/They
have
He/She/It
has
Examples
Positive: You have a car.
Negative: You do not have a car.
Question: Do you have a car?
Positive: He has a car.
Negative: He does not have a car.
Question: Does he have a car?
The Verb “Can”
Who?
Form of verb
I/He/She/It
You/We/They
can
Examples
Positive: I can sing.
Negative: I cannot sing.
Question: Can I sing?
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 11
Exercise 3
A) Fill in the correct form of the verb in the simple present tense.
1. I _________ (be) French.
2. The night _________ (be) long.
3. The winter _________ (be) cold.
4. You _________ (be) very fast.
5. We _________ (be) here.
B) Fill in the correct form of the verb in the simple present tense.
1. I _________ (have) lots of friends.
2. She _________ (have) long hair.
3. He _________ (have) a few books.
4. You _________ (have) a big house.
5. They _________ (have) the money.
C) Fill in the correct form of the verb in the simple present tense.
1. I _________ (can) run fast.
2. It _________ (can) help.
3. He _________ (can) spend his money.
4. You _________ (can) provide them with clothes.
5. We _________ (can) drive cars.
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
12 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
D) Turn these sentences into negative sentences and questions.
1. I am here.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
2. They are old.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
3. The water is clean.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
4. I have a new bed.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 13
5. We have a large house.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
6. He has a large axe.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
7. I can grow corn.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
8. She can play solitaire.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
14 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
9. They can move fast.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
10.It is wet.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
11.She has a guitar.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
12.You have wood.
Negative:
________________________________________________________________
Question:
________________________________________________________________
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 15
Special Spelling Rules
for Adding “s”
In the simple present tense we add “s” to verbs after he, she, it, etc.
Examples:
I eat apples He eats apples
You drink water Lisa drinks water
In many cases we simply add “s.” But in many other cases, we cannot.
For example:
I kiss He kisss
That is not correct!
So some verbs change their spelling when the letter “s” is added to them.
Verbs Ending with “s,” “ch,” “sh,” “x” or “z”
When a verb ends with s, ch, sh, x or z, we add the letter e, and then we add
the letter s.
miss
kiss
watch
teach
wash
push
mix
fix
buzz
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
miss + es
kiss + es
watch + es
teach + es
wash + es
push + es
mix + es
fix + es
buzz + es
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
misses
kisses
watches
teaches
washes
pushes
mixes
fixes
buzzes
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
16 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
Verbs Ending with “o”
When a verb ends with o, we add the letter e, and then we add the letter s.
go
do
=>
=>
go + es
do + es
=>
=>
goes
does
Verbs Ending with “y”
Vowel = a sound we make when the breath flows out through the mouth
freely, without being blocked. The English letters a, e, i, o, u are called vowels,
because they represent such sounds.
Consonant = a sound we make that is not a vowel. The breath is somehow
blocked on its way out of the mouth. For example, the sound b is made when
breath flow is stopped with the lips. All the other English letters that are not
vowels are called constants. These are:
b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.
When a verb ends with y, and there is a consonant before it, the y changes
into ie. Then the letter s is added.
fly
try
cry
study
=>
=>
=>
=>
flie + s
trie + s
crie + s
studie + s
=>
=>
=>
=>
flies
tries
cries
studies
When a verb ends with y, and there is a vowel before it, we simply add the
letter s to the verb.
buy
say
pay
play
enjoy
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
buy + s
say + s
pay + s
play + s
enjoy + s
=>
=>
=>
=>
=>
buys
says
pays
plays
enjoys
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 17
Exercise 4
A) Add “s” or “es” to the following verbs.
work
__________
play
__________
take
__________
help
__________
jump
__________
run
__________
fly
__________
kiss
__________
teach
__________
buy
__________
try
__________
study
__________
cry
__________
say
__________
play
__________
enjoy
__________
watch
__________
teach
__________
miss
__________
mix
__________
wash
__________
cry
__________
fix
__________
buzz
__________
push
__________
provide
__________
grow
__________
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
18 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
Simple Present, Story 1
Before Reading
A) Look at the title of the story and the picture. What do you think this story
is about?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
B) Match the words in column A to the words in column B. (There can be
more than one correct answer.)
Column A
Column B
beat
an axe
burn
water
chop down
corn
grow
deer
hunt
home
keep
Jack
leave
time
provide with
trees
spend
warm
use
wood
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present | 19
Column A
Column B
cut
songs
have
animals
know
wood
write
cars
move over
to fish
talk to
snow
play
stars
drive
solitaire
love
stories
look at
fun
Column A
Column B
small
corn
plenty of
river
old
stove
big
typewriter
warm
plants
good
snow
large
road
special
forest
cold
guitar
new
winter
C) After these exercises, what do you think this story is about?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
20 | English Grammar Stories and Exercises, Simple Present
Simple Present, Story 1
Jack from the Forest
Jack
Jack lives alone in a small house in the forest.
He lives more than 20 miles from the road. He
rarely leaves home, but when he does, he drives
a big car. In the winter, he drives a special car
that can move over snow.
Jack grows his own food in a large garden. He
plants carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn.
His apple tree provides him with plenty of
apples.
Jack also hunts deer, rabbits, and turkeys for
food. He lives near a small river, which provides
him with plenty of clean water. It also provides
him with plenty of fish! Jack loves to fish, and he is pretty good at it.
Jack uses an axe and chops down trees for wood. He then cuts the wood into
small pieces, which he burns in his stove. He keeps warm in the winter!
Jack also has fun. He reads a lot. He has a lot of books, and reads most of them
more than once. He also writes his own stories with an old typewriter.
Every night, Jack plays his guitar. He knows many different songs and plays
several every night before he goes to bed.
Jack does not spend all of his time inside, though. He loves to spend time
outside. During the day, he looks at plants and animals. Sometimes he even
talks to the animals. During the night, he looks up at the night sky. He knows
many stars by name.
He also plays a lot of solitaire. He is pretty good at it! He does not always win,
but no one ever beats him!
www-really-learn-english.com | Copyright © 2012 Ola Zur
- Xem thêm -